Autumn Leaves
by Mademoiselle Edgard
Summary: It all started with a stare, with a glare. Severus Snape had expected a thousand things upon accepting the temporary guardianship of one young Elinor Potter. But he hadn't expected the look in those eyes, nor the terrible secrets hiding behind it.
1. Through Broken Glass

**Hello there! So there it is, the very first chapter of my very first fanfiction. I'm not quite sure about the details yet, so we'll both just have to go with the flow of my ideas. I was inspired by a whole lot of classical music, especially Arvo Pärt's **_**Für Alina**_**. And, just in case you were wondering, Harry Potter is a girl in this story. I'll let you discover the rest all by yourself then…**

**Enjoy!**

_**Through broken glass.**_

The house was filled with the delicate sound of someone's piano playing. The man, approaching in slow strides, closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the sweet echo of the notes as they lingered in the air around him. It was a melancholic piece of music, yet there were some happy tones to it. And Severus Snape was suddenly filled with a sense of peace, one that he had not felt for years.

It was almost painful.

Walking past well-kept rose bushes, the wizard made his way to the entrance of the small house, entirely made of red bricks, and stopped in front of the somehow imposing, wooden door. The villa was situated in Northern Germany, away from town and at the edge of a massive forest of pines. Standing there, bright red against dark green, it looked as though it was about to be swallowed by its wild surroundings. Severus looked around wearily. The air was charged with the scent of pines, and everything here just seemed so alive that it made the man uneasy. It felt like he was being watched by hundreds of ferocious animals lurking in the gloom.

He brought a hand up and ringed the small bell. It reverberated loudly through the walls and the door opened almost instantly, revealing the presence of a small boy. There was a short pause during which the kid registered the presence of the older person, and then he ran off, leaving the suddenly irritated Potion Master on the door step.

_What the in Salazar's name am I doing here, anyway?_ he thought darkly, pinching the bridge of his nose. _It's the old geezer's entire fault, that manipulative bastard! There's still so much more work that needs to be done before the start of the new semester…_

Deep in thoughts, Severus Snape didn't notice the abrupt halt of the music, nor the reappearance of the little boy who was now hiding behind his older sister.

" Wer sind Sie, Meister?" asked the girl.

Her tone had been barely polite; clearly she was distrustful of him. And when he looked up, the older wizard found himself trapped into the chilling glare of Elinor Lily Potter. Her eyes were grey and, like a cloud, they were filled with torment and hatred. Somehow, deep down, Severus knew he would find fear there, even though she showed none.

Then she blinked and the world crashed around him. He studied each and every traits of her face, unable to take his eyes off her. He absorbed the slight hollowness of her cheeks, the arch of her thin brows, the impossible length of the lashes around her round-shaped eyes, the frown upon her forehead, the lovely curve of her nose, the ruddiness of her lips, and the way her curly, auburn hair framed her almond-shaped face, reaching perfection. Her body was small and slender, curiously graceful for a child of such a young age. Slowly, agonizingly, insatiably, the man took in the details of her silhouette; the way the dark blue dress she wore made her pale complexion stand out, the stiffness of her shoulders, the force with which she held the tiny hand of her brother in her own, the bruises and scars that marked her bare feet, the slow rise and fall of her chest…

He rediscovered Lily through her daughter, and he wanted so desperately to cling to it and never let it go. But it was impossible, because this was not Lily…

_How cruel and oh-so sweet…_

Elinor repeated the question she had asked beforehand, but he didn't catch a word of what she was saying.

_Even her voice sounds like her…_

"I…" he murmured, but the look she gave him made Severus at loss for words. She seemed to find it insulting that he dared to open his mouth.

"Was brauchen Sie hier?" she muttered, looking at his outfit, then at his hands.

She must have found something there that she didn't like, because suddenly a vicious scowl appeared on her pretty face. Her eyes, ablaze, said all that had been left unspoken, and he tensed unconsciously. Because he was a trained spy – an assassin even – and no matter how absurd it sounded, he knew danger when he saw it.

And then he finally admitted to himself that the little girl that now stood in front of him, threatening and somehow challenging, was nowhere near the fragile girl he had pictured so many times. She might not be that tall, and she certainly wasn't big, but her eyes were all grown up. The glare she was giving him was a knowing one. She was well aware of the menace he represented, and she was ready to fight and endure. Those eyes, they were looking unblinkingly into hell, as if she'd been though it and back again.

She was nothing like what he had expected.

Nothing like Lily, her mother. Nothing like James, her father.

He watched numbly as she moved closer to the boy, putting herself in front of him in a protective gesture, and wondered just exactly _what_, _who_ had caused an eleven year old kid to become so suspicious, so vigilant. A voice in the back of his head told him that he knew exactly the cause of all this, and guilt pierced trough his darkened heart. And just like any other emotion, this one was replaced by anger.

Anger of being intimidated by a kid. By James' kid. By a _Potter._

It had happened once, he told himself, remembering the countless times James Potter had mocked him, bullied him. And it was not to happen again. Ever.

"I don't speak German!" the man hissed as she asked yet another question in that godforsaken language. How dare she! Address to him in such a disrespectful manner! "I wish to see Mr. Krüger. _Now_."

The two children exchanged glances and began to whisper to one another, suddenly ignoring the elder man completely. His eyebrow twitched. He was about to snap…

"Marcus, Elinor!" called a man from inside, coming their way.

He was tall and slim, bearing a dark brown moustache and short hair of the same color. And even though he was wearing casual clothes – a green sweatshirt and a pair of jeans – the man kept himself in a daunting way which earned him the respect of Severus. At the sound of his voice, both children stiffened.

"Was ist passiert?" he inquired.

His voice was low and demanding, and Marcus, the small boy, hurriedly explained the situation to the man who appeared to be his father. The later frowned and turned to Elinor, seemingly wanting confirmation of what her cousin had told him. Never meeting her guardian's angry eyes, she nodded curtly.

Meanwhile the older wizard had been deep in thoughts, wondering exactly how much change this little fury was going to bring into his life. Had he been paying any attention at all to what was being said at that moment, he would've noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere as the kid's father turned to Elinor. He would've perceived the defiant stare, full of disdain, that he gave her. And he would've taken in the concerned glance Marcus had given her, squeezing her hand a little as if to comfort her. But he hadn't.

_Smack!_

He was violently brought back to the present time by the sickening picture of the man he had found reasonable at first slapping his young charge across the face. The sound of it ringed in his ears over and over again, and just wouldn't disappear; reminding him of his own tormented childhood. His brain couldn't comprehend what he was witnessing, but his eyes stayed wide open and the show went on without waiting for him. The man – who he knew was Mr. Krüger, the person he had come to see in the first place – was now talking to his son, seemingly commanding him to get inside the house. By the way the little boy was shaking his head, Severus could tell he did not want to do what his father asked of him.

The image of his nine year old self stepping in front of his injured mother, desperately trying to protect her from the threatening fists of his drunken father flashed before his eyes. And before he knew it, it was gone, replaced by the terrifying sight of this little boy struggling to help his beloved sister. The last smiled reassuringly at the child and nodded to the staircase that could be seen inside, pushing him encouragingly towards it.

She did not follow him as he reluctantly went away and instead stood absolutely still, probably hoping to disappear for a while. And it appeared that she knew exactly what she was doing, for the man suddenly turned to him, his scowl melting into a polite smile easily.

"You must be a teacher from…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "From the school."

The wizard could not help the sneer that crept up his face as he shook hands with him. The same hand that had hurt an eleven year old child. The same hand that had hurt _Lily's_ child.

"Yes," he murmured, his voice cold but bloodless. "From Hogwarts."

"I am Andreas Krüger, please step inside."

**So? How was it? I'll welcome any comment, reflections and other thoughts, so don't be afraid to hit the **_**review**_** button! **


	2. Unforgiving, unforgiven

**So here it is, the second chapter. It's not as long, but it should explain a few things about little Elinor. Enjoy!**

_**Unforgiving, unforgiven.**_

Elinor followed as the two adults settled in the living room. Andreas took his usual place on the couch while the tall black-haired stranger chose to sit in the leather armchair, which would the most logical option, she figured, for a unwanted guest in an undesired situation because it was closest to the door. And for her, the best option remained the standing position, as it had always been.

Her cheek burned a little, but she paid it no heed, too busy listening to what was being said to care about the swollen side of her face. She had known much worse.

"I believe everything is in order for her departure?" the man was inquiring, not even glancing her way.

At that Andreas nodded and began to ramble on about trivial things such as travelling fees and school uniforms, barely waiting to hear the answers to his questions before digressing again. But the child was already in possession of all the knowledge she needed on that matter, so instead she focused on the man that had been send to safely retrieve her from her home by the Headmaster of the school she was to attend this year. A special school for special children, as Anika so sweetly put it.

A school for witches and wizards was how Elinor saw it. Of course, she knew everything about the magical world to which she rightly belonged, and she also knew that she wasn't supposed to behold such knowledge. The only problem resided in the fact that her guardians also knew that, and they strongly resented it.

As long as she could remember, Elinor had always been capable of achieving bizarre – even impossible – things. What others would struggle to learn and accomplish, she would readily carry out, as though she already held the necessary knowledge. But that wasn't all. As a baby, because she couldn't yet control herself, most unusual phenomena would happen around her on a daily basis: she used to make things explode when either angry or sad, and if she'd felt threatened in any kind of way, the temperature would've dropped drastically. On the other hand, when really she'd been happy the furniture would start flying around the house and any electrical item would either break down or begin to function on its own.

Then, with time and practice, she had learned to control this energy and bend it to her will. And a few weeks after finally becoming skilled at that, a man had knocked on the door of their house.

_Karl Henning._

Clad in a dark blue cloak, not unlike the one the stranger wore himself actually, he had been the very first wizard the little girl had made the unfortunate acquaintance of. And from there on, everything had gone downhill.

For just a moment she felt the sting of betrayal run through her spine, down to her feet. It had been wonderful to know that she wasn't alone in the rabbit hole.

"You are special," he'd told her, his blue eyes piercing holes through her very soul. "And so am I."


End file.
